PLAY BY THE RULES BULLETIN - MAY 2011
Bullying: no room for spectators
Sport is an emotional, competitive arena which is not immune from acts of bullying; in fact it often provides an environment which can lend itself to this type of behaviour.
For young people in particular, being the victim of bullying is a very serious issue and can cause them to feel embarrassed, humiliated and intimidated. It can also affect a person’s physical and mental health, school life and athletic performance. As members of the community and as coaches, officials, parents, spectators and club administrators, we have a moral, and sometimes even a legal, responsibility to be more than just spectators.
What to do about bullying
· Always take bullying matters seriously. Listen and discuss the options for dealing with the situation.
· Determine a course of action and keep accurate and up-to-date documentation.
· Talk to the young person’s parents and/or carers and consider enlisting the help of his or her school. The bullying may also be occurring there and schools often have very effective anti-bullying programs.
· Follow your sports Member Protection Policy. It should detail a course of action and any disciplinary procedures against bullies.
· Some forms of bullying constitute assault, harassment or discrimination and may be illegal - seek the advice of your state and national bodies or Play by the Rules. If the bullying involves threats of violence, abuse or blackmail, you may need to report the incident to the police.
· Check out the following resources: Play by the Rules: Got an Issue? Bullying; Australian Sports Commission factsheet on Bullying; Bullying. No Way! website.
Take a proactive approach to bullying and your club will be a safe, secure and fun place for everyone.
Inspiring the volunteer in you
Over five million Australian volunteers contribute more than 700 million hours of community service to many areas of society, including sport and physical recreation. From 9-15 May, National Volunteering Week provides an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our communities and to say thank you for their contribution to your club.
Organisations are encouraged to use the theme ‘Inspiring the Volunteer in You’ to recruit and thank their volunteers, as well as promote an awareness of volunteering. For a range of resources to promote volunteering go to Volunteering Australia.
Dealing with serious complaints
In most situations where a complaint is made in a sporting environment, the matter can be effectively managed and resolved within the club. However, there are situations when someone outside the club may need to be enlisted to help or when a serious matter needs to be referred to an external agency or the police. It’s important that administrators are able to identify serious issues when they occur and know when to make an appropriate referral.
External services and resources available to assist clubs vary from state to territory and between sports. Check with your national or state sporting organisation about the options available.
Play by the Rules has a Toolkit which includes easy-to-use policy templates for: Member Protection, Code of Behaviour, and Spectator Behaviour. Just add your club’s logo and use them as a guide to develop your own documents. The Play by the Rules website also contains a series of Agency Referral Guides tailored for each state and territory. These guides include helpful information about identifying complaints, a handy quick reference table detailing the type of complaint, and contact details for the relevant referral agencies.
Play by the Rules community service announcement airplay
To help spread the message to keep sport safe, fair and inclusive, three of Australia’s elite sportspeople – rugby league great Petero Civoniceva, Australian Rules dual Brownlow Medal winner Adam Goodes, and international cricket legend Adam Gilchrist – have each recorded a radio Community Service Announcement for Play By The Rules which has been distributed to radio stations and has been receiving extensive airplay over the last month.
Play by the Rules has also produced a video community service announcement focussing on these key messages, which has been distributed to television networks and pay TV outlets nationally, which has also been picked up and played across a range of channels.
Go to the ‘Our Champions’ section on the Play By The Rules website to listen to the experiences and advice from a range of former and current professional sportsmen and women and coaches on keeping sport safe, fair, inclusive and fun. Also take a look at the video on the Play by the Rules homepage.
New ‘Swap It, Don’t Stop It’ campaign
The Australian Government recently launched the ‘Swap It, Don’t Stop It’ campaign to urge all Australians to make some simple lifestyle changes to become healthier.
For instance, sensible sporting participant and supporter swaps may include:
- swapping pies and chips with fresh sandwiches and salads
• swapping soft drinks for plain water
• swapping watching replays on TV for real life plays in the park
• swapping half-time sugary snacks for energy boosting fresh fruit.
A range of ‘Swap It’ resources to help people learn how to become a ‘swapper’ are available at: http://swapit.gov.au/
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